Finishing molding for upholstering



May 17, 1938. J. HAMM FINISHING MOLDING FOR UPHOLSTERING Filed Sept. 20, 1955 Q ynzmoR BY MGQRNEYS 5 w m m Hmi Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES I 2,117,883 FINISHING MOLDING FOR UPHOLSTERING James I. Hamm, Fail-field, Conn, assignor to The Bridgeport Coach Lace Company, Incorporated, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,449

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful immovements in finishing molding for upholstery or trimming in automobile bodies, furniture and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a finishing molding including a reenforcing or stiffening strip comprising a flatbody portion and a looking bead woven to the body portion along one edge thereof whereby the bead does not have to be separately sewed to the body.

Another object is to provide a finishing molding wherein the tack concealing flap is hinged to the body of the strip to fold freely relative thereto and wherein other means are provided for securingsaid flap in tack concealing position.

A further object is to provide an improved stiffening strip to be used in a finishing molding for upholstery.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a strip of finishing molding constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the improved molding and in full lines showing the parts before being secured and in dotted lines showing the molding as secured in place;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the molding in place;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a section of a stiffening strip employed;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a slightly modified construction.

Referring in detail to the drawing the improved finishing molding comprises a stiffening strip generally designated I and comprising a flat body portion II and a relatively thick or large diameter cord or bead I2 arranged at one edge of said body portion. The cord I2 may be of paper, fibre or other material, and the body I'l comprises fibrous warp strands I3, preferably of cotton, and stiffening cross or weft strands I4 interwoven with the warp strands and preferably in the form of relatively small diameter pliable metal wire as shown. In the weaving of the. stiffening strip III the weft 01' cross strands I4 are carried about the cord I2 as shown at I in Figs. 4 and 5 so that said cord is woven to the body of the strip and so does not require being separately secured thereto as by sewing.

In making up thepresent molding a suitable covering material 26 has one edge portion I6 inner surfaces of said core so that the latter is' completely enclosed. The covering is secured to the core in any suitable manner as with cement or the like and the edge portion 20 of the covering has its inner surface cemented or otherwise secured to the inner surface of an intermediate portion 2| of the covering. The core I9 may be of rubber, paper, or of a fibrous or other material and includes along one longitudinal edge portion a lip 22 which is also enclosed by the covering. The covering material may be of leather, oilcloth, artificial leather, a woven fabric, or other suitable material.

Core I9 together with the portion of the covering secured thereto comprises a tack concealing flap generally designated 23 and the flat portion H of the stiffening strip I0 together with the portion of the covering secured thereto comprises the body portion of the present molding. Flap 23 is hingedly connected with said body portion at 24 by a single layer of the covering material so that said flap is freely swingable from the full line position of Fig. 2 to the dotted line position of that figure. While this is the preferable construction it will be apparent that the stiffening strip might be extended beyond or across the hinge portion 24 so that the flap 23 would not be freely swingable but would be folded only on bending of the wires of the stiffening strip.

When the flap 23 is in the dotted line position of Fig. 2 the bead comprising the cord I2 and the covering portion secured thereto may be folded over onto the lip portion 22 of the flap as suggested in Fig. 2. In folding the bead I2 to dispose it on the lip portion of the tack concealing flap the wires weaving or securing said bead to the edge portion of the body of the stiffening strip are bent about the free edge portion of the flap and these bent wires serve to secure the bead in position locking the flap against the upper of the body of the molding.

When the molding is being applied the flap 23 is left in an open position as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 so that access may be had to drive tacks 25 through the body portion of the molding. After the tacks are in place the flap is swung to the full line position of Fig. 3, which position is also shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and being disposed at the upper side of the body of the molding covers or conceals the heads of the tacks. Next, the bead i2 is folded into place to overlie the lip portion 22 of the fia-p as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and thereby secure the latter in tack concealing position. 7

In the folding of the bead l2 the weft wires of the stiffening strip are bent and serve to maintain the bead l2, which may be termed a locking bead, in place securing the flap against casual movement. It will be noted that the portions of side the weft strands which are bent in the folding of the bead l2 into locking position are not remote from the free edge of the bead and so serve to effectively secure the bead in its locking position,

, the leverage on said locking bead being thus relatively short. The portions 21] and 2| of the covering together with the inner portion of the stiffening strip and the covering applied thereto form a lip-like portion 21 at the inner edge of. the molding.

It will also be noted in Fig. 4 that in the particular stiffening strip shown the wire weft strands l4 extend across and back on the same side of a pick which gives two parallel wires in the same pick so I get double the number of wires to the inch of fabric over a fabric where there is only one wire per pick. This gives a stronger stiffening strip and one which has a greater holding effect in the finished molding as will be apparent This construction of stripis preferred but I am not limited thereto as other stiffening means may be used.

Fig. 6 shows a slightly different construction wherein the flat or body portion i la of the stiffening strip is somewhat narrower than the corresponding portion i I of the strip of Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The covering is also somewhat narrower in Fig. 6, and after leaving the inner edge of the stiffening strip proceeds but a short distance to provide a hinge portion 24a. and is then carried about and secured to the core l9 forming therewith a flap 231:. corresponding with the flap 23 previously described. The molding of Fig. 6 is used in the same manner as the molding in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and differs therefrom only in that the lip-like portion 21 of the first figure is omitted.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. A finishing molding comprising a flat body including metal strands extending across the body, a bead disposed laterally of one edge of said body and about which said strands are looped to secure the bead to the body, a flexible covering about said bead and secured to a side of. the body and extending beyond the edge thereof opposite that at which the bead is located, a core at said opposite edge of the body, said extending portion of the covering enclosing the core and hingedly connecting it to the body for free folding movement over the edge of the body onto the body to conceal tacks driven therethrough, and said metal strands adapted to be bent to permit the bead to be folded onto a portion of the core when the latter is in tack concealing position to lock it in such position.

2. A finishing molding comprising a body portion adapted to be tacked to a support and including a stiffening strip having fibre warps and weft including pliable metal wires interwoven therewith, a cord extending along one edge about which the wires are looped to secure it to the strip, a separate flexible fibrous finishing covering enclosing said cord forming therewith a bead and extending across the under side of the strip and secured thereto, said covering extending beyond the strip on the opposite side from the cord forming a flexible hinge portion adjacent the edge of the strip, a yieldable core enclosed by said covering on the opposite side of the hinge from said stiffening strip and forming with said covering' a flap foldable over onto the body portion to cover tacks therein, and said bead being foldable over onto and overlapping one edge of said flap by bending said Wires inwardly of the bead and retaining the flap over said body portion by the action of said wires.

JAMES I. HAMM. 

